Law360 Canada (June 14, 2024, 4:45 PM EDT) -- Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani announced on June 14, 2024, the appointment of Birju Dattani as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), effective Aug. 8, 2024,

Beginning his legal career with the Syrian Legal Development Program, Dattani went on to work as the assistant regional director of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, where he advised leadership on issues relating to policy, legislation and regulation. He then worked for several years as the executive director of the Yukon Human Rights Commission, where he administered the Yukon Human Rights Act, before taking the role of director of human rights and conflict resolution at Centennial College.

The CHRC was established in 1977 by Parliament and the Canadian Human Rights Act. Independent from the government, it aims to promote and protect the human rights of people in Canada by working with federally regulated employers to help get rid of barriers faced by women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized people and people with disabilities.